


Mr. & Mrs. Smith

by inquisitivegarnet



Series: Mr and Mrs Smith [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Married Couple, Power Couple, Romance, They Both Live AU, two incredibly capable people in love fight the goddamn world that stole their kid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-07-25 12:50:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7533424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitivegarnet/pseuds/inquisitivegarnet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Going from green grass and white picket fence to post nuclear annihilation was something they never could have expected. But when their child is stolen from them, the Commonwealth learns that vengeance and the pure unadulterated will to survive only makes this couple from Vault 111 sharper and stronger. They will not break and they will not shatter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Calm Before The Radiation Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Im a sucker for stoic tough guys being madly in love with their s/o and that's exactly what i'm doing. I'm in love with both of them and they're in love with each other.

“War. War never changes…” Nate muttered to himself, sitting on his bed, his back against the headboard and his speech in his hands.

 

He was giving it yet another look over when he heard a soft chuckle from the doorway. Katherine walked into their room towards the dresser, a smile on her lips. “Don’t stress so much about it. You’re gonna do great at the Veteran’s Hall tomorrow.” She reassures, reaching up to remove the clip from her deep red hair and letting the soft curls drop a little further than her shoulder. She places the clip with the other… trinkets she has, then runs her fingers through her hair shaking it out, and lets out a soft and relieved sigh.

He silently watched her and soaked up the view before him. She’s always been beyond the definition of beautiful, but watching her in moments like this, unwinding and getting ready to relax, always captivated him. She was the most real, the most _her,_ in these moments.

He loved the way the warm light of the desk lamp shone on her made her caramel skin almost glow, and he loved the way her wavy hair perfectly framed her face. She then made her way over to the windows to close the curtains for the night and Nate admired the way her sunset colored nightgown hugged the generousness of her hips, and when she turned around he revered the look of the red stain her lipstick left on her full lips that suddenly turned into a knowing smirk.

 

He shook his head to clear it, and looked down to notice that he’s clutching the papers in his hands and lets out a breathy laugh. “Sure that’s what you say, but you know as well as I do that I am _not_ a people person.” He says, looking back down at his speech. “Much less a ‘public speaking’ person.”

 

“Mm. Not many people are.” She agrees and saunters over to him. She moves to straddle his lap, plucking the papers from his hands, and placed them on the nightstand beside them. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not incredibly charming and exceedingly handsome.” She smiled, kissing him lightly.

 

“I don’t think good looks are going to help me if or _when_ I freeze up. I don’t even like talking much to begin with.” He replies dryly.

 

“Ok, so you’re not the next Mark Twain. You still have a way of capturing attention and making people listen; something I’m sure has helped you out on that battlefield. Use that.” She says, combing her hand through his hair, something he noticed she loved to do when he decided to let it grow out some after he retired. “I mean they were soldiers too.”

 

He huffed and gave a small nod, leaning to rest his head in the crook of her neck and hugged her to him taking slow and steady breaths. She always made him steady- calmed him. Something about her presence always made him feel right; made him feel stronger. That was one of the reasons on his long extensive list that he found he couldn’t live without her. She raked her nails slowly up and down his bareback- a gesture that always relaxed him. “Yeah. You’re right.”

 

“My favorite hobby.” She laughed.

He raised his head to look into her eyes. They were a warm molten color of amber and were just as mesmerizing now as they were the day he met her all those years ago. “Besides, I looked over that speech after every single revision of yours. We made it as good as it’s going to get hon. The only thing left for you to do to is to knock ‘em dead.”

 

He hummed out in approval then leaned in to kiss her. _His_ favorite hobby. Her lips were as soft and warm as ever. “I don’t know how you do it. The people person thing.”

 

“It was just something I could do since I was young. Dad always said I had a way of wrapping people around my finger.” She shrugged. “Figured I should make a career out of it while also,” she paused then grinned and in her best attempt to imitate the Silver Shroud continued, “dispensing justice!”

 

Nate chuckled and Kat beamed. “Trust me Kitten. I know all kinds of magic your mouth can do.” He joked, his voice huskier than usual. Her eyes widened for a quick moment then she bit her bottom lip as an enticing red flushed her face.

“ _Damn_ ,” he thought, “ _That’s still the cutest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen_.” He then moved his hand to her waist, gently squeezing it, and used the other to caress her thigh, moving the bottom of her nightgown upwards allowing him to feel the warmth of her skin.

 

“Shaun’s asleep.” She stated breathily. “With all this new free time I have, I’m sure I could find out and see if my magic has gotten rusty or not…” she propositioned him.

 

He quickly flipped her underneath him, grabbing her thigh and sliding his hand down to beneath her knee, hooked it up at his waist, and ground into her. He moved his face to her neck lightly kissing it as she breathed out a low moan. “Not tonight.” he murmured into her neck. He placed his other arm beside her head and used it to lean directly above her so she was all he could see. She was all he ever wanted to see.

“Tonight, I want to see how well _I_ can do.”

 


	2. And Then The Bombs Dropped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world goes to hell.

Screaming.

Panic.

Sirens.

 

**Fear.**

 

“Don’t stop running!” Nate bellowed as he clutched her hand, practically dragging her with him. Kat nodded, though she knew he couldn’t see her and focused on keeping her legs moving and Shaun firmly in her arm.

“Dammit.” Nate muttered as he started weaving past the neighbors, though with the mix of terror and horror surrounding them he started resorting to _pushing_ past them. When they finally got to the gate that was guarding the Vault, Nate shoved his way past the crowd of people to the soldiers that were trying to keep people from pushing through and looked for the person who was verifying civilians. When they spotted him, Nate bulldozed his way over.

“We’re on the list!” He shouted. “My wife. She just registered us, but we’re on the damn list.”

“Nathaniel and Katherine Smith. A-and Shaun.” She said stepping up to the guard with as much authority as she could muster despite the stutter from catching her breath.

“Adult male, female, and infant… You’re here. Go. Quickly!” He commanded as he let them through, the other guards trying to stop other people from trying to push in with them.

“I _am_ Vault-Tec!” Kat heard as Nate started to tug her with him. She looked back as she recognized the voice from the man that was just at her door. _They're refusing him entry. How could they do that? How was he not on the list?_

 

“Kat!”

 

She jumped looking back to Nate who had the calm look of a serious and experienced soldier. _Because he is_. But the tense clasp of his hand on hers, and the quick beating pulse she felt from his vein, let her know he wasn’t quite so composed as he let show.

“Kat. Focus. Let’s go.” He said; voice clipped with concern.

She took in a deep breath nodded again. Focus.

As they sprinted up the hill to the Vault she heard engineers yelling out. “Please step onto the metal plate!”

“Are these the only people allowed?” Kat panted out.

“I don’t know.” Nate said looking around, then at her and Shaun, his expression blank. She squeezed his hand.

He staggered out a breath then hugged them close. She heard the rapid beat of his heart, and pressed her forehead against his chest. “I love you. Both of you.” He breathed as his hold on them tightened.

 

“And we love you.” She replied, squeezing her eyes closed to prevent herself from crying. She felt Shaun move in her arms, and she opened her eyes to look at him. They would survive this. For him.

Kat looked back up to Nate with a smile. He weakly smiled back in response before a loud “It’s coming! Lower them down! _Now!_ ” was yelled out around them.

 

Then, to her horror, it happened.

The bomb dropped.

The world silenced around her, as she saw the infamous mushroom shaped cloud slowly form its way up. Nate stepped in front of her, as if he himself could shield them from the blast. Kat watched the ring of wind rushing towards them and finally, _finally_ , the platform started to lower them in the promised safety of Vault 111.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I can’t believe that really just happened.” Kat muttered.

Nate grunted in agreement, his hand lightly tracing random patterns on her back, and the other clenching and unclenching.

Kat looked up at him and saw his specific brand of listless.

Nate was never one to be ‘expressive’ and was usually pretty stoic, but luckily for her she's had years of experience of reading him and learning his tells. Putting her perceptiveness to use, and the training she got from father and tips she got from her mom, she started picking up on his tells and, with time, became familiar with them. Nate was, in a sense, just as expressive as anyone else.

He stood up straighter when he wanted attention. He tapped his fingers when he was starting to lose patience. He avoided eye contact when he was nervous, and gave nothing but when he wanted something. He always looked off to the distance when he was thinking.

He clenched his fists when he was scared.

 

“Hey.” She said a bit loudly to catch his attention.

He glanced at her then quickly looked away.

“ _Hey._ ” She repeated, standing directly in in front of him. She used her free hand to grab the back of his neck and bend his face down towards her to make sure he had nowhere else to look- something she had to do sometimes because he was a whole foot taller than her 5’7. His green eyes finally looked into hers and she let him take a moment to take in a deep breath and release it.

“We’re fine. We made it. We’re safe. We’re _alive_.” She insisted. Shaun then babbled in her arms and she looked down and smiled. “Right Shaun?” she asked for backup. Kat looked back up to Nate and saw him calming down while staring at their little nugget of life. He caressed Shaun’s face and finally gave a small smile.

“Yeah…” he breathed. He looked back up to Kat and kissed her gently. “Yeah.” He repeated. “We are.”

He pressed his forehead against hers and they both took that moment to revel in the fact that they were, in fact, still alive.

They both stood like that until someone nearby cleared their throat. Nate immediately stood straight up, looking towards where the sound came from, practically glaring at what appeared to look like a scientist or doctor or _whatever_  wearing the lab coat. The man nearly shrank away by the look he was getting from Nate, and Kat just gave a tired laugh. The tightening of the grip from his hand on her waist and the rapid tap of his index finger telling her he was just embarrassed. He was never big on PDA.

 

“I-I’m sorry to ruin your moment, but we have a schedule and procedures to stick to.” The man said nervously, trying to keep a grip on whatever authority he had.

“It’s fine. We’re sorry, we just… We just needed a moment.” She explained as politely as she could.

The man gave her a solemn nod and gestured to someone who handed them two packages. He looked at Nate then almost immediately back to her. Kat glanced up towards him then sighed, tugging at his shirt. Nate looked down to her to her then sighed and relented.

“These are your Vault suits. You are to wear them from now on while in the Vault.” The man explained.

“Only this one? We don’t get more?” Kat asked curiously. Surely there would be more to change into.

She then notice the assistant snort in amusement and the scientist’s grip on the clipboard tighten slightly.

_“That’s… odd.”_

Kat looked back up to Nate to see if he was still glaring, but his focus was down on the bag opening it and looking at the suits. She furrowed her brows for a quick moment before looking back to the scientist who then tried his best to give a reassuring smile. “Yes. Just for now, until we get everyone checked in and settled. Once that’s done, we will start distributing the supplies. ” He explained.

_“A reasonable response. What was with their reaction? It wasn’t a stupid question.”_

“Please follow me so you can get changed and decontaminated before we debrief everyone about their new home.” He said turning to lead them away from the entrance.

 

There were only two changing rooms to use, male and female, and the both of them decided for Nate to go and change first while Kat stayed with Shaun, and then traded him when it was her turn.

“These thing sure are… _snug._ ” Kat mumbled to herself, making sure everything was in place. When she left the room, Nate was no longer waiting in front where she left him. She quickly looked in around until she heard a baby crying, her baby without question, and headed that way.

“Oh god my parents. I hope… _I hope_ …” a woman Kat vaguely remembered as Erika said as she broke down crying into her husbands arms.

“ _Damn._ ” Kat thought. This was it. This was their entire world now. A pang of sadness hit Kat before she heard Shaun crying again and shook her head. Not yet. Now wasn’t the time to mourn the loss of the world.

She traced the crying to an incredibly sanitized and cold looking room full of… pods?

“There she is.” Nate said reassuringly, rocking Shaun in his arms. “There’s Mama, see?”

Kat smiled and trotted to them, gently taking Shaun from his arms. “Here are my favorite boys. Shh shhhh. Don’t worry my little sweetness; I’ve got you. Mommy’s got you.” Kat said rocking Shaun in her arms, trying to calm him down. Once he started settling, Nate rested a palm on the top of her head, then sliding it down to her cheek.

“I don’t know how you do it.” He said quietly.

She laughed and leaned into his palm. “Probably the same mysterious quality that managed to get you to fall in love with me to begin with.”

He chuckled then graced her with a small smile. “I wouldn’t call that mysterious. I think it’s the other way around.”

She was about to argue that point before the scientist from before walked up to them. “Ah, there you both are. We’re about to get started on the decontamination process so if both of you could go into your individual pods, that would be greatly appreciated.”

Kat and Nate looked at each other then the pods cautiously. She’d never heard of decontamination pods and clearly neither had Nate. After a moment she shrugged and stepped towards the one she was closest to. Maybe it was Vault-Tec’s new state of the art _whatever_.   “I’ve got Shaun.”

Nate didn’t seem convinced but he nodded anyways and walked to the one directly in front of her.

She stepped into the pod and sat, rocking Shaun in her arms as the pod door closed.

 

“Resident secure.”

 

“Don’t worry. Mommy’s got you.” she said hugging him to her. She looked back out to see Nate with his arms crossed and a pensive look on his face.

 

“Occupant vitals: Normal.”

 

She smiled at him trying to reassure him and he gave a small one back, his arms still crossed and… his hands clenched?

 

“Procedure complete.”

 

Suddenly her heart started beating hard in her chest.

 

“In 5…”

 

_It’s… cold?_

 

“4…”

 

 _Why is it so_ cold _?_

“3…”

 

_I’m… so… tired…_

 

“2…”

 

_What’s…_

 

“1…”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“This is the one. Here.”

 

_What…?_

 

“Open it.”

 

_What’s happening?_

 

Suddenly the door was opening and she couldn’t get in enough air. The sudden inhalation made her throat _burn_ and coughing was bringing more pain than relief.

Shaun was crying.

_No sweetheart. Don’t cry. I’m right here._

“Is it over? Are we okay?” she asks to the people in front of her. One dressed in a full body protection suit. _Why?_

“Almost. Everything’s going to be fine.” Said another voice. A man. Raspy voice. Holding… _a gun_?

“Come here. Come here baby.” Said the other voice, a woman, trying to grab Shaun.

No.

“No, wait.” Kat said quickly. “No, I’ve got him!” Why was she trying to take Shaun away? _What was happening?_

“Let the boy go. I’m only gonna tell you once!” said the man, now pointing a gun at her while she tried to keep the other one from taking her child. _Her Shaun._

 _NO_.

“I’m not giving you Shaun!” she yelled and Shaun screamed and cried.

It burned, everything burned.

_Why were they trying to take her baby? What was happening? Why was this happening?_

And then there was a blinding pain. Her arm roared in pain as she screamed. Her grip on Shaun dropped and then he was out of her arms. Gone.

“ _NO!”_ she shrieked. The door closed again. “ _No!_ ” she cried.

She was getting tired again. Her arm throbbed, blood dripping, and she looked out to see Nate banging on his pod. She squeezed the wound to help try and mute the pain, but her consciousness was fading.

“I’m sorry.” She sobbed, looking at the sheer horror written on her husbands face.

“I’m sorry…” she repeated as she thought about Shaun being stolen right from her arms.

_I’m sorry…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon: Kellogg shoots her arm instead of killing her because the institute wants to preserve any pre-war subject they can get their grubby sanitized hands on.
> 
> Opinions? Comments? Thoughts? Suggestions? Lay em on me. *please*


	3. Hell Frozen Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell has to freeze over before he'd let anything happen to his family. But unfortunately for Nate, it seems like it did just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter pov's will switch to whoever I think would 'narrate' the best. But for now it seems to be going in a back and forth pattern.  
> I also want to use that opportunity to let their personalities shine through so here you go.

_Fuck._

_Why isn’t this opening?_

_Why can’t I move faster? Why couldn’t I help her?_

_Please be ok._

_For the love of any and all gods_ please _let her be ok._

 

Coughing. Gasping for breath followed by disorientation. Stumbling and deeper coughs and ragged intakes of air.

Desperation.

“Open goddammit!” He growled with a broken voice as he tried to all but force the door to her pod to open. He glanced to the side and saw the control panel and slammed on the button. Finally he heard the hydraulics coming to life.

Impatience.

It was taking too long; moving too slow. He tried to pry the door up quicker, heart hammering in his chest. _Please_. Then he heard her gasping for air.

She’s breathing.

He hovered over her and frantically looked over her body. _She was shot. Where was she shot? Where did that_ bastard _shoot her?_

She’s crying.

“Nate.” she croaked.

“Shh.” He uttered with a shaky voice. “It-it’s okay now. I’m here.” He tried to sound as reassuring he could. She’s holding her arm. There’s blood. He shot her in the right arm. He exhaled. With all the gentleness he could muster, he took her arm and looked at it. It was a clean shot through. _Good_. He could’ve extracted the bullet if he absolutely had to, but he wasn’t sure he could stomach hearing her scream in pain.

“I’m sorry.”

He looked up to her face. Tears flowing from her eyes. She looked miserable. She looked down at her hand. “I’m sorry. I-I couldn’t. They just-”

“No. No no no.” Nate denied. He grasped the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. “This is not your fault, Kitten. I saw you; I saw them. You did the best you could have done.”

Kat squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “He was in my arms. I _had_ him.”

“Yes. And the damned bastards had to _shoot_ you to take him from you.” He said gently, kissing her forehead, her eyes, and her cheek.

“I’m sorry.”

He hugged her to him. Her head was in the crook of his neck, and he gently stroked the back of her head to try to calm her down. “Kitten, the only people who need to be sorry are the ones responsible for kidnapping Shaun and shooting you. And I promise you, right here and now, that we will tear the world apart looking for him if he have to.”

After a moment she nodded her head and used her good arm to cling to his back. They stayed like that for a long moment, Nate taking the chance to absorb the fact that she was still here. Still alive. Still warm in his arms.

Still injured.

Slowly, he moved back some to look at her. “Kat, we need to fix up your arm.”

After taking a deep steadying breath, she nodded. “Right.”

 

* * *

 

Nate held onto her left hand and helped her up. She wobbled for a moment, her legs unsteady, and he hovered near her in case they gave in.

“I’m good.” She reassured, giving his hand a squeeze. He nodded and finally looked around.

_What in the ever loving fuck happened here?_

“Maybe hell really did freeze over.” Kat muttered. Nate glanced at her, and she looked up at him. “I mean that’s really the only way someone could’ve snatched my baby away from me.”

Nate grunted and she gave a humorless laugh. “‘Hell would have to freeze over before I let anything happen to my family.’” Kat said in a deep voice in what could only be an impression of him.

He snorted in slight amusement, and distantly remembered having that conversation with her Shaun was born.

-*-*-*-*-*-

He enjoyed his military life and the friendships and connections he made there. Plus he was good at his job, and that made him valuable. After missions fell apart around them on the battlefield against the Red’s, he took up impromptu leadership of what was remaining of the battalions around him and successfully lead an assault against one of the Red’s key bases at Anchorage, and that ultimately ended up with the Chinese Liberation Army pulling back from Alaska.

The military commended him for his actions, and offered him a promotion if he decided to continue his service instead of retiring. He had finally completed his required term for service and hadn’t yet decided on whether he wanted to pursue his military career or not, but in the meantime he was given permission for R&R while deciding.

When he finally got home, he was greeted with an eight-month pregnant Katherine to his complete surprise. With his new-found responsibilities, and the world falling to shit around them, he ultimately decided to retire stating “Hell would have to freeze over before I let anything happen either of you.” He vowed it to both Katherine and himself as he held the fresh-from-the-womb Shaun. He couldn’t protect them out there on the field, but he’d damned if anything happened while he was around. With that decided, he became a stay-at-home dad. Not that he was really any good at it. Thank fuck for Codsworth. Best goddamn investment he made.

 -*-*-*-*-*-

Then there was a hand waving in front of his face. He jumped back, getting ready to defend himself until he registered the fact that the hand belonged to Kat. Katherine Smith. His Wife.

“You okay there?” she asked concerned.

He breathed a deep sigh and slowly rubbed his face. “Yeah… just…” he cleared his throat. “Just thinking.”

She stared at him for a moment, unconvinced, then thankfully decided to let it go. “Alright.”

He watched her for a moment and noticed her squeezing her wound, putting pressure on it, and he immediately returned back to focus on the tasks at hand.

Patch up Kat. Find out what the fuck happened. Hunt down the man that shot his wife and stole his son.

 

* * *

 

It was eerie to say the least. Skeletons on the ground. Rooms were full of stagnant and dusty air. Roaches the size of a fucking _dog._

As much as that unnerved him, he was still mildly amused at Kat’s reaction; which was basically summed up as loud high pitched shrieking and jumping up on a tool bench as he beat it to death with a baton he had just previously found.

After roaming around a bit more, they finally found a room that looked like it was once a med center. He made her sit down, she was still a bit woozy from both blood loss and what looked like sheer terror at the… roaches, while he scoured the room for supplies; bandages, sterilized cloths, Med-X, anything.

To his relief he managed to find two stimpak’s, a bottle of vodka, and a carton of filtered water. After pouring vodka on her arm to sterilize it as best he could, he injected a stimpak, and then made her flex her hand and her arm to make sure she was healing correctly.

Once that was confirmed they split the carton of water, both being incredibly thirsty, pocketed the remaining stimpak, and continued trying to find their way out of the vault.

 

* * *

 

“Oh, look!” Kat said, pointing toward a desk. “There’s a gun.”

He walked up to the desk, and grabbed it, going through the motions to see if the damn thing still worked. Didn’t look too rusted. He gave it a test shot. Good enough. He put the safety back on.

“Here’s some more ammo.” She said placing a box of 10mm bullets on the desk as she continued to look around to see if she could find any more.

After determining that that was all she would find he handed the gun to her. “Take it.”

Her brows burrowed together in confusion looking at it before looking up to him. “Why? You’re the seasoned vet here.”

“Sure. But you know how to use one. So take it.” He insisted.

“Yeah, on _unmoving_ targets that also aren’t trying to _kill_ me.” She argued.

“Best way to learn is through first-hand experience.”

“Nate.”

“Just at least until we can find another one. I need you to be able to protect yourself. I have a feeling those roaches aren’t going to be the nastiest things we see out there.” He urged, grabbing her hand and placing the gun in it. She didn’t hold onto it.

“And what are _you_ going do to protect yourself? Nate, the gun would be more efficient in your hands.” She said pushing it back.

“Kat. _Please_.” He practically begged, looking directly into her eyes. Those beautiful amber eyes, full of fear, concern, and, most importantly, life. “I can’t—I can’t watch someone hurt you like that again." he confessed. "It’s just for now. Just until we can find another one I can use.”

She continued staring at him. _Almost there_. “For now I can use this.” He gestured to the hand patrol baton.

Her eyes narrowed just a bit on her otherwise neutral face. Something he noticed she did when her mind was going a thousand miles a second but didn’t want to give away her thoughts. She tilted her face up towards the ceiling, closed her eyes, took in a long deep breath and sighed.

“Fine.”

He exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding and held both sides of her face. “Thank you. Thankyouthankyouthankyou.” He murmured while kissing her forehead repeatedly.

When he pulled back to look at her face, she gave him a small smile then tapped her lips, to which he complied.

 

* * *

 

Kat seemed a touch more relaxed when he proved that he was plenty capable of using the baton to defend himself when they came across more of those ginormous roaches.

_Seriously, what the fuck was with that?_

She took aim at them, by his instruction, so she could get used to the motion of targeting moving objects, but didn’t shoot to preserve bullets until it was necessary—he didn’t know how accessible bullets were going to be.

When they finally managed to find the entrance they found a couple of skeletons holding some pretty intact looking pip-boys that thankfully still worked. While he was messing around with his, genuinely impressed with it, Kat figured out how to activate the vault door to open it.

They made their way to the platform that was once thought as their salvation, then looked at each other as Nate’s hand hovered over the lift button. “You ready?”

After taking a steadying breath, her hold on the gun tightened ever so slightly, and nodded.

“Let’s go find our son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im not planning on following the main story step by step the entire way, but I want to create a strong enough base before breaking up into side stories and various character development. 
> 
> For now, though, please bare with me.


	4. A Moment To Mourn

It seemed like the world had beaten them to it on the whole ‘torn apart’ front.

Thankfully they found Codsworth, and though it still tore her heart apart that he hadn’t seen anyone run away with Shaun, it was still something. It was still a piece of the past. A past that was long gone; 210 years gone to be exact.

Kat stood under the large tree that shadowed the center of the cul-de-sac still vaguely unbelieving that this was her reality now. That confused her. The facts were there, in front of her, literally in pieces. Rusted, and mostly dead pieces, sure, but they were there.

_Maybe I think this is just some kind of sick nightmare._

She shook her head. That shot wound was real, and the ache in her heart was real. The remnants of a town she researched about for hours and the weeks spent saving up for living here was in front of her. Real.

She looked to her left, noticing the little pumpkin paper decoration still somehow hanging on the Patterson’s door. It was almost Halloween. Shaun was about to have his first Halloween. They were supposed to—someone was screaming.

Kat immediately stoop up at attention, drawing her gun. There it was again, but it wasn’t really screaming as much as it was just… yelling. And it wasn’t _someone_ it was Nate.

Kat quickly took off towards the sound. _Is he in pain? Is he being attacked? Where—inside somewhere_. _Their house?_ She darted towards it and noticed Codsworth hovering uncertainly near the entrance.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she ran up to him.

“Master Nate, he’s…” he started to respond, but when Nate roared again followed by a crashing sound, _in pain it sounds like he’s suffering_ , she ran past the robot, gun aimed.

She took an unsteady breath.

She hadn’t come in here yet. She had been avoiding it altogether, because she knew it would hurt.

“Nate?” she called out.

Kat heard another crashing sound and then… sobbing? She followed it cautiously to—she froze.

It was Shaun’s room. The crib was in pieces, the small nightstand and what was left on it thrown on the ground. Rotting pieces of wooden toys they had bought just the other week, along with books and games she was once excited to use, on the ground underneath the shelf that was supposed to be holding them. And Nate, her strong courageous loving Nathaniel, on his knees clutching what was left of the mobile he had just fixed to his face. Weeping.

Kat swiftly holstered the gun and, as silently as she could, walked around the mess and knelt in front of him. She gently placed her hand over his, and he jumped, looking up at her. Her heart squeezed seeing him like this. _Miserable_. _Angry_. _Heartbroken_.

_Give him this moment._

She looked at the mobile, and lightly touched it. Her breath hitched and soon she felt her own tears on her face. With shaky hands, Nate reached to her and held her cheek, trying to wipe off her tears with his thumb. _That was so like him_ , she thought, _to be more concerned over her tears than his own_.

He let her grab the mobile from him, and it was her turn to clutch it. Soon she was sobbing too.Nate wrapped his arms firmly around her, holding her as if his very life depended on it, and they sat there weeping.

Together.

 


	5. Priority Number One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That rating change though.

“How are you not- just? Why aren’t you- I mean! It’s so-” Kat cut herself off again and exasperatedly sighed, trying to find words. This was new to her. She almost always had things to say; even if it wasn’t out loud.

But this was almost infuriating.

Things, rats- mole rats, _whatever_ , were demonic and huge and crawling out of the earth. And trying to kill them. Not that _that_ in itself was a new experience to her anymore. Deadly mutated species after 210 years of stewing in the leftover radiation from a worldwide nuclear apocalypse made complete logical sense.

Of course she would be surprised at anything she’s never seen before trying to rip life from her, and she still handled this better than when she saw those damned radroaches, but how was Nate so calm? Sure he was a soldier, and she’s sure he’s seen his fair share of terrifying things on the field but… still? Wasn’t this even just a _little_ unnerving?

Still unsure how to put words to how she was feeling, she gestured to the dead mole rats, making her frustration clear.

Nate, still on one knee and petting who he declared was Dogmeat, had the audacity to grin at her. She began pacing, hoping that movement would settle her nerves.

Nate chuckled and stood up and walked up to her, placed his hands on her arms stopping her pace, and looked down at her, grin fading into seriousness. “Kat, I’ve killed a lot of things during the war. Got good at keeping myself together, but getting good at things requires… practice.”

“I know.” She replied. She did know. But it’s one thing to know and another thing to witness it themselves. After a pause she looked at him. “How do you do it? How do you stay calm?”

If this was the world they existed in now, she needed to learn and she needed to adapt.

He looked at her for a moment, calculating what he wanted to say, then sighed. He let go of her and combed back his hair from his face. “Everyone works differently.” He replied finally.

_Gee, thanks for the help._

Her frustration must have showed on her face because he offered her a half-smile in apology and gently rested his hand on top of her head. It was a gesture that used to annoy her _a lot_ until she realized it was just one of his ways to show affection; people showed affection in different ways and his was through action and touch.

“The best generalized advice I can offer is to remain calm. Don’t, well at least try, not to panic. Once you start to panic you can’t think clearly and, most importantly, can’t act clearly. When you’re around things that are trying to kill you, that single moment of hesitation could cost you not only just your own life, but the lives of others.” He explained.

After he gave her a moment to digest the information, he grabbed her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. “Take deep breaths. Focus. Try to keep track of what’s happening around you, and don’t leave yourself open. Eventually you’ll learn that it doesn’t matter what’s coming after you, if it’s trying to kill you, Kat, defend yourself.” His grip tightened on her as he finished.

“And before this even becomes an issue,” he continued, he released her shoulders and gently cradled her face, thumb lightly caressing her cheek, “Your first and biggest priority needs to be your own safety.”

She placed her hands over his. “But _you’re_ my biggest priority.”

He gave her a sad smile before leaning down to kiss her. She was expecting a quick peck, but was surprised when he held it for a long moment. Kat closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of his soft chapped lips. When Nate separated from it, he wore a lopsided grin. “Those are big words for someone that’s just now learning how to properly aim at moving targets.”

“Well, you know I have those in spades.” She smiled, but she knew what he meant. Kat wouldn’t be of any help to him if she couldn’t help herself first. “Alright.” She conceded. “Priority one is me. Immediately followed by you; which wouldn’t really count as priority two, but more like part of one. Priority one point two. Just barely under priority of me. _Barely_.”

He laughed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll take it.”

She grinned and looked down when Dogmeat barked, grabbing their attention. She walked over to him and bent to pet his head with both of her hands. “This means you’ve been upgraded to priority number two, boy.”

Dogmeat barked excitedly in response and she laughed. When she looked back up to Nate, she noticed his attention was decidedly _not_ on her face. _Is he… checking me out?_

She watched him, trying to hold back her snickering. His focus was on her ass, and his hand twitched. When his eyes finally roamed back to her face, she knowingly grinned at him making him immediately flush red presumably because he had been caught.

“The suit. It- you… um.” He stuttered, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. _Embarrassed_.

“I… what?” she asked, standing back up and stepping directly in front him, arms folded behind her back.

He groaned and looked away from her. Her teasing grin widened and she moved to place herself into his field of vision again, and watched as his blush deepened. Very rarely has she caught him ogling her so obviously, and it always elated her when she did. Nathaniel Smith was nothing if not composed, so of course ruining that impeccable composure became her favorite pastime.

He finally stared down at her, fingers tapping the center of his palm, then looked at Dogmeat. “Can you keep watch Dogmeat?” he suddenly asked.

After an affirmative bark, Nate grabbed her wrist and all but dragged her inside the Red Rocket. “Nate,” she laughed “What are you doing?”

He grunted, grip on her wrist tightening, as he navigated them to what was supposed to be a small office room.

“What-” she started before he released her wrist, turned to picked her up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist, and pressed her against the wall and kissed her. Hard.

Kat gasped in surprise, but quickly returned it with equal fervor, burying her hands in his hair.

“Nate.” She breathed when he started to nip at her neck with light bites followed by hot wet open kisses.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous Kitten.” He murmured into her neck, the vibration from the hand moving to the center of her back, other to grope her ass. Kat tilted her head to the side for easier access and a breathless moan passed from her lips.

He groaned at the sound and he pressed himself, _he’s already so hard_ , to her core. “Damn suit should be fucking illegal.” He pulled back; his eyes nearly ate her up- _feasted_ on her.

Kat’s leaned her upper back to rest against the wall as she watched him, awaiting his next move. His eyes were dark, and filled with lust. His thick black hair was disheveled, and face still flushed an enticing red on his olive skin. She understood what he meant. Curves from his solid muscles were practically on display under the blue skintight suit, and there was little left to the imagination.

Most importantly, though, was that there was no hiding his arousal. She took his moment of distraction to tighten the grip of her thighs on his waist and ground into him.

A moan rumbled out of him and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When he opened them again hooded eyes met hers, then he nodded his chin at her. “Pull down the zipper.” He ordered.

She bit her lip and reached up to the zipper at the center of her neck and gradually pulled it down, eyes locked on his. He slowly licked his lips and his grip on her tightened. “You’re _sin_ , Katherine.” He whispered almost reverently.

With that, Kat reached up to his collar, gripping it to pull herself to him, and used the wall to push off. The motion caused Nate to take a step back to right his balance and she grabbed the back of his head, moving for a searing kiss. He grunted and wrapped his arms around her back firmly as her tongue entered his mouth, tasting him. He matched her eagerness, and walked toward the desk. Nate set her down on the edge as he pushed the objects beside the computer off, then pushed her further back on it, never separating from the kiss.

Kat pushed the sleeves off her shoulders then her arms and Nate’s palmed at her breasts, thumbs flicking and circling her hardened nipples. His kisses started trailing from her lips, to her chin, her neck, pecks on her shoulder, collarbone and then stayed a moment on her tightened nipple still covered by her white cotton bra. His teeth grazed over it, her head leaning back letting out wanton moan. His hands continued roaming down her leg and then grabbed her calf, standing up to untie the laces on her boot and tugged it off.

Kat pulled the suit and her panties down to her waist, and lifted herself to push them off the edge of the table. Nate pulled the rest of the suit off her single free leg, both uncaring and too impatient to do the same with the other. Now with the suit out of his way, he knelt to the ground, grabbed then pulled her hips to face, her bare leg over his shoulder.

His eyes met hers again, and he watched her face as his tongue slowly and teasingly swept up her folds. Kat tossed her head back eyes closed as a moan readily poured from her mouth, reveling in the pleasure his hot tongue was determined to give her.

“Look at me Kitten. Watch me.” He commanded. There was something so intimate about eye contact with him, and it never failed to make her more sensitive to his- well his everything.

She huffed in frustration, but did as she was told. Kat was met with that confident smirk that always made her stomach twist and core clench. Instead of going back to where she wanted, that damn smirk to go, he started to teasingly kiss her inner thigh. “You’re such an ass.” She laughed breathlessly, reaching to comb through his hair, then guided his stupidly attractive face right back to her sex.

With their eyes locked on to each other’s, he started ministrations and alternated between sucking and flicking his tongue over her clit. Kat was soon a moaning and panting mess, struggling to keep her eyes open. His name reverently gasped out from her mouth, the only thing she could make herself say. Her mind was blanking, tuning out everything that wasn’t his hot hands and blazing tongue expertly working her. Her hand clenched in his hair, eyes squeezing closed again. “I-I’m. Im going to-”

Then he stopped. Her eyes shot open and a near pitiful whine escaped past her lips. Nate was up on his feet, almost frantically pulling his zipper down and reaching in to pull his cock out. She felt herself clench in anticipation as he rubbed his thick length, smirking at her as Kat bit her lip. He then leaned over her and gave her a fervent kiss, the taste of herself still on his tongue.

Kat wrapped her arms around his neck and Nate guided himself to her entrance, and without further preamble, slid home. After taking a moment to adjust to the fullness she always felt when he entered her, he began a quick and frenzied pace. She would have shown concern over it, he usually preferred to ‘make love’ with slower more sensual acts to tease and savor, but her mind was quickly blanking with pleasure. Thinking about anything other than how he was hitting that spot, or how his breath was quick and uneven as he leaned over her and nipped at her neck, was becoming impossible.

It wasn’t long until she felt herself tense up and cried out as she came hard, her hands reaching to Nate to ground herself to something as moaned wantonly into his ear. He allowed himself a few staggered pumps into her before he pulled out of her and aimed himself towards the floor.

Nate drooped over her as they both tried to regain their breath. It was Kat who broke the silence, cupping his face so she could look into his eyes. “You alright, big guy?”

“Yeah. Will be.” He murmured after a moment.

“Don’t give me that Nate. What was that? What’s wrong?”

He groaned in frustration then stood up, rubbing his face with his hands. Kat sat up straight watching him as he began pacing. Sincerely thinking. She was about to begin putting herself back together when he finally stopped and looked at her again.

“I’m scared.” He admonished. Nate walked back to her, grabbing her hands and placing them on his chest, over his heart, then bent down to put his forehead on hers. “Katherine, I’m fucking terrified.” He choked out after another moment.

She squeezed his hands, unsure of what to say. She needed something to say, something to help ease his worries, something to reassure this solid pillar of a man she desperately adored, but found no words.

“This- this new world we’re in. I can handle freak bugs, people, rotting and broken glimpses of the past that was ours just fucking yesterday, but I can’t-” he cut himself off, clenching his eyes shut and taking a few moments to calm himself before looking at her again. Her heart squeezed from the mixture of love and fear he was giving her. “I can’t lose you.”

Kat pulled her hands from his grip and clutched herself to him. “You won’t.”

He returned the embrace, his face pressed to her neck. “You can’t promise that.”

“I’m doing it anyways.”

He gave her a broken laugh, and tightened his hold on her. She knew what she was getting into when she accepted his ring, and when she signed her name on the marriage registration. Loving and marrying a soldier was a contract to heartbreak. Everyday he was out there in that war, she could’ve been sent a letter, gotten a call, seen a soldier come to her door with another holding an American flag, as if it were some sore of consolation for losing the love of her life. She had been mentally prepared for it, or as much as she could because she knew she was just lying to herself. But that was probably something that had never crossed his mind.

What if he was the one who lost her instead?

Sure, she had learned the very basics of self-defense and learned how to shoot guns at gun ranges between her cop father and dates with Nate, but that was it. She wasn’t a cop.

She wasn’t a soldier.

“Priority one is me.” She stated. Nate moved his head to look at her again, to assess her sincerity. “I will prioritize myself. I promise I will focus on making sure I stay safe and that I won’t do anything too stupid.”

He sighed in relief but before he could say anything she continued. “But Nathaniel you need to promise me that you can’t do anything dumb either. I can’t do this without you either. No heroics.”

Nate nodded and she knew it was a lie. She wanted to believe it, but deep down she knew that wasn’t in his nature. He’d step into a line of bullets before he’d let anything harm her. _The hypocrite_.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this was my very first attempt at "smut" and honestly that was so exhausting.


	6. Tactic Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok you know how when you procrastinate so hard, doing literally anything else other than what you need to do makes you feel super guilty? That was me trying to get my life together. And writing made me feel incredibly guilty. But! I got my shit together and now I can happily come back to these two. 
> 
> Also, this is unbeta'd and tbh I wouldn't mind having one but I don't even know where to begin with that. So I apologize for errors.

Kat was getting very good very quickly.

 

To her credit, she absolutely had to in order to survive in this fucked up radiated wasteland of a world, and call Nate old-fashioned, but it agitated the fuck out of him that she had to in the first place. He never said anything about it, but he had a feeling she knew his thoughts about it without having to— she was always so goddamned good at reading him.

Nate noticed her shift to accommodate his frustration when she wasn’t standing near him during a shootout. He almost panicked when he glanced back and she wasn’t where he thought she’d be, but when some raider was getting near him they were met with well-placed shots in their throat and chest. He turned back to see where the shots came from and he saw Kat crouched and shielding herself from view, and backing him up with a gun that was _not_ meant for sniping.

“Nate!” she yelled out alarmed, and he immediately looked back to see a raider bulldozing their way to him with a knife. _Focus on the fight. She’s all right; she’s safe._

He dodged out of the way, blade barely missing his skin, and landed a strong-armed blow to their side, causing them to drop the knife, and then he quickly took his pistol, aimed, and fired directly into their head.

After the last raider fell, he turned back to look at her using his hand to try and wipe the sweat, blood, and grime from his face. “And what’s with the new tactic?”

Kat walked up to him, frowned, and then reached into her pack searching for something. “I thought it would be easier for you to focus on fighting if you weren’t constantly worried about keeping me safe.”

“That wouldn’t really change no matter where you were in a gun fight.” He retorted confused. “Not to mention the fact that that you scared the hell out of me.”

“Yeah, I know Nate, but it’s not like I had the time to stop and tell you my plan when we’re both focused on not getting shot to death.” She huffed pulling out a relatively clean looking scrap of cloth and handed it to him.

Nate looked at it confused, and she sighed reaching up to start wiping his face. He groaned and took it from her to wipe it himself. “People gravitate to you. I figured I could use that to scamper off and take out the people trying to pick you off from a distance. It worked.” She said almost defensively.

He hummed in agreement. This would actually be a good dynamic to work with. “Do you wanna stick with it?”

Kat pursed her lips thinking, then nodded. “Yeah I think I do. I kind of like it.”

“Then I guess I’m gonna see what I can do to get you an actual sniper rifle.” He said with a nod of finality.

“Or build it.” She smirked.

“ ‘Could teach you how to do it if you want. It’d be good to learn; be useful. Make it your own.” He offered.

Her face lit up at this, and not for the first time and definitely not the last he was hit with a swell of affection. The world was hell, but when she smiled like that, it was almost as if it could fix everything. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He smiled, and patted her head affectionately. Kat laughed, and grabbed his hand to remove it then tugged him down to give him a quick kiss.

“I would like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know this was a short one, but I promise updates are going to come a little more regularly.


	7. Enlisting

It was getting chilly. This was something that hadn’t occurred to Kat before. _It was getting chilly_. Quickly, she checked her pip-boy to look at the date.

November 22, 2287.

Late fall. Late fall meant winter. Winter meant- wait. What did winter mean in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world?

“Hey, Garvey.” Kat called out, turning to look back at him.

They were on their way back from picking-off some raiders that were causing problems for a settlement that needed help. A settlement _always_ needed help; it was something she quickly learned. It wasn’t that she had a problem with it, people with resources that felt like they were in your debt and that they owed you something were the easiest and best kind of people to negotiate with, but Kat still wasn’t sure how far Preston was going to push this Minutemen thing. For now it was just a good cause with a fast growing network of connections and shareable resources for her and the people back at Sanctuary. Plus the growing lists of settlement apparently under her care.

“Yes?”

“What’s winter like in the commonwealth now?” she asked.

Preston shrugged and looked up at the sky. “It changes between mild and bone-freezing yearly. I have a feeling this year might be on the milder scale.”

“What about snow?”

“I’ve never seen much of a buildup.” He replied. “Why?”

“I was just wondering if winter in Boston is still the same. If there were going to be tons of snow or maybe blizzards…” she trailed off.

From what she’s seen, nothing and no one has shown evidence to being prepared for a harsh winter, though that could also be because of their inability to. Still, though, it would be best to prepare for it, just in case. She’d have to allocate more food somehow, both fresh and non-perishable; maybe even have to figure out how to protect crops from cold snaps. She could ask some farmers what they do to prepare for it. Then there were also items for warmth. Excess wood to burn, maybe find some jackets and coats, or even just more blankets and covers. She didn’t want to, but Kat had been considering going back into 111 to raid and scavenge for supplies. Neither her nor Nate wanted to step foot back in there, but for survivability’s sake it was something important to consider. 

“Are you alright?” Preston asked suddenly, making her jump.

“What?”

“You stopped walking.” He explained. “And then you looked like you were in your own world.”

“Ah, sorry. I was just kind of lost in thought. I didn’t mean to stop.” She apologized, then began walking again.

“Oh… do you mind sharing? I could help.” He offered with a small smile.

Kat smiled back then sighed. “It was just about preparing for winter. I hadn’t really thought about it until now, being so focused on- well you know. Focused.” Her grip on her pistol tightened. _Focused on the wrong things_ , she thought.  Her biggest priority should be hunting down the man that stole her son, and it was, but somehow other things became her main focus.

First it was trying to figure out how to survive a day. Then it was trying to find a lead from nothing in this entirely new world they were in. That somehow wound up to being in charge of a group of people trying to survive in this miserable place, then it was the need to find resources, scavenge, kill, and loot. Kat had thought this would be a good thing to do because at least that way they could try to find more news or reports about who might’ve stolen their baby, but it’s been basically useless info-wise.

Both she and Nate were starting to get antsy about the trail getting cold when Nate suggested splitting up to try and cover more bases. Kat would go with Garvey to try and see if they could get any kind of information from various settlers, and Nate would take Dogmeat head to the city and see what he could find there. The idea of separating didn’t sit well with either of them, but it was a smart plan, and Kat agreed it would be best for now; at least until they could get _some_ kind of lead and pursue that together.

“You’re doing it again.” Preston laughed.

Kat quickly looked at him and groaned. “Sorry.”

He smiled and nudged her shoulder with his arm. “I can’t really complain. That mind of yours has saved us countless of times and I’m confident it will continue doing so.” He hesitated. “Which reminds me… I have a favor to ask.”

“Well you’ve had no problem asking them before.” she joked. “What is it this time?”

He took in a deep breath and faced her. “I would really appreciate it if you could seriously consider being the general of the Minutemen.”

“Garvey, we talked about this.” She sighed.

“No, I asked and you said you’d think about it. I know that was just a polite way of telling me no, but I really think you’re what we need- what the commonwealth needs.” He insisted.

“Preston-”

“The amount of good you’ve been doing in such a short amount of time is nothing short of impeccable.” He continued. “You’re good with people and you have a good heart. I know your priority is finding your kid, and I’m not asking you to change that, I’m just asking you also think about the good it would do to help out others in the process.” He paused. “The commonwealth isn’t going to change by itself, and as you’ve seen they need something like the Minutemen to help defend them, and I fully believe your guidance and leadership is what the Minutemen need.” He urged.

They continued walking in silence, Kat processing his words. She looked towards the farm they were approaching, and the people hard at work. People who only knew of struggle and hardship and just trying to live. People that weren’t bothering anyone being robbed, kidnapped, or murdered; sometimes even all three. The kind of people she wanted to help, protect, and defend back when she decided to become a lawyer in the first place. But now there were no laws, there were no legal systems, and justice was now often simply served through a bullet through the head. Anyone could play judge, jury, and executioner. Everyone was on their own and that’s the only world they’ve known.

Maybe… just maybe she could still help people. Maybe this really was the best thing for her to do. If the people couldn’t defend themselves, maybe she still could.

As they got closer to the farm, one of the settlers noticed them and looked at her hopefully. Kat gave them a tired smile. “I took care of those raiders for you. They shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

Surprise and shock was etched onto the settler’s face. Kat couldn’t help but compare this to when she gave her clients good news that they didn’t expect. Then there was relief and happiness, an exhale of breath and a sag in the shoulders.

Then gratitude. “Thank you! I honestly didn’t expect much from the Minutemen, but I’m really glad I asked for help. You have our thanks and if you need any help with supplies we’ll do our best to support your cause.”

“Thank you… I’m glad we could help.” Kat smiled.

“I think you did more than that. Things were… it was getting pretty desperate. It’s almost impossible to find help now. If the Minutemen really were making a comeback then… well I think it’d give some small settlements like our own a little more hope.” They said while looking at the other settlers.

After declining offers to stay until tomorrow, the two began their trek back to sanctuary with their packs full of food and supplies both given from the settlers and looted from the raiders.

“So…?” Preston began.

“I’ll think about it. Really think about it. It’s not something I can just decide myself; it’s not just me out here- I have to talk to Nate, but…” she trailed off then smirked. “But it’s looking a little hopeful.”

 

* * *

 

“I’m sorry, you did _what?_ ”

“It’s not a serious thing- at least it isn’t right now.” Nate tried to explain.

“Are you seriously trying to- Nate everything about you is a ‘serious thing’. You never take anything not seriously!” Kat started pacing, her mind racing. Nate just joined the military. _Again_. She didn’t even _know_ there was still a military.

“How could you just- no I know how you could, but why would you? And then without consulting me about it!” she turned to him, her anger and frustration starting to rise from shock and confusion. “We’re a fucking team Nate you can’t just- just leave me for the military again you goddamn _bastard_!” she emphasized the word with a push to his chest.

“Whoa, _whoa_ I’m not leaving you for anything just calm down a second-”

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down you gargantuan piece of-” Kat cut herself off. She did need to calm down.

Kat gave out a frustrated yell and started walking away, heading towards Red Rocket. They were making a scene in front of the town and Lord knows how nosy everyone in Sanctuary was. _Of course he joined whatever military exists here._

“Kat!” Nate called out following after her, then easily keeping up with her striding pace. He tried to reach for her hand but she moved it away from him, clenching her fist to her chest. “There’s a misunderstanding here.”

“Oh and what kind of misunderstanding has been made, huh? That the moment you’re finally off on your own you _somehow_ find another military to enlist in? That you decide this all on your own because ‘who cares about what Katherine thinks’? ‘What does it matter that it’d be leaving her alone again?’ ‘It never really mattered what she thought about anyways.’”

“Hey!” Nate bellowed. Kat froze and turned towards him. He almost never yelled, and even the very few times he has, it was never directed towards her. “That’s not fair or true Kat and you know it.” He said sternly.

She stared at him for a moment; her hands clenched, then silently turned back and continued walking. He was right. She was just upset and her feelings were hurt. Nate never did anything without reason, and his family always came first. He proved that time and time again. It didn’t hurt any less though.

After a silent moment Nate spoke up. “Are you going to let me explain now?”

Kat made a vague gesture for him to continue, and he sighed. “I started heading to the Cambridge police station to see if there were still any kind of supplies left I could grab when I heard a distress signal on the radio. I checked it out and there were people being bombarded with ferals so I helped them out. Turned out they were some sort of group from a military faction called the Brotherhood of Steel on a recon mission. They needed another favor, because of-fucking-course they did and I helped them out. The big guy in power armor told me about this Brotherhood thing and asked if I wanted to join.”

“So of course you said yes because you thrive off of law and order.”

“You do too, so don’t give me that bullshit.”

“Well sure, but I didn’t fucking join an army!” Kat rounded at him and jabbed his chest. “At least I had the courtesy to put the offer on the backburner until I could talk to you about it.”

His brows scrunched in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Preston. The Minutemen. General.”

“He asked you again? We already talked about that Kat, we don’t have the time to-”

“Says the man who just enlisted himself in the army!” she raised her hands in frustration and turned again to walk to the garage and slammed on the button to open it.

“I didn’t enlist in anything yet, Kat.”

“You said yes!”

“They’re not even here.”

She paused then looked back at him. “It’s just those people that came here in advance. I joined on a condition. This is just a trial. They gave me some missions to complete and let me go on my way. I figured I could try that ‘connection’ thing you do so that way I didn’t burn any bridges. I told them I was looking for our son and that that was my biggest and only priority and the guy, the Paladin or whatever, he told me that if I joined I could use the army’s resources to help us find him.” He finished.

Kat felt herself deflate. Nate walked up to her, cradling her face to make her look up at him. “You really felt like I abandoned you?” he asked softly.

“Sort of? I mean- no. Not really.” She admitted. “We weren’t even dating when you first enlisted anyways. It just… it scared me to think about you going off to fight some war again. Not with the way the world is now.”

Nate leaned in and kissed her forehead and hugged her to him. “I’m not going anywhere. Or at least, if I were, you’d be coming with me.” She silently nodded into his chest, and felt the light trace of his fingers on her back.

After they stood there for a moment, Nate broke the silence. “So what changed about Garvey’s offer?”

Kat groaned then separated from him and went inside the building. “We’re doing some good. We’re helping people who need help. Granted I wish I was doing a little less of helping others and more of helping myself but…” she hesitated. Kat looked back at Nate. “I think as long as I remain focused on finding Shaun, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to help out people when I can.”

“By becoming the ‘General’ for a nearly nonexistent group of people?” he asked skeptically.

“Yeah the title is a little… weird.” She shrugged. “I figured I could give it a shot and see what happens.”

Nate hummed and walked up to her, scooping her up and sitting her on the counter. “Obviously it wouldn’t just be me; it’s a relatively prevalent decision involving the both of us which is why I wanted to talk to you about it first.” She continued

Suddenly, Nate laughs and put his hands on either side of her waist, framing her in. “What, so _you_ can enlist me? Be my commanding officer?” he grinned.

“Well you are an invaluable soldier,” she drawls, wrapping her arms over his shoulders bringing his face closer to hers, “and you’ve always been so great at following commands. You’re also very good working hard to get a mission accomplished.”

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” he says with a smirk.

Nate moved in to kiss her but Kat backs away from it, her expression serious. “Joking aside Nate, I want us to be equals. We’re a team. We don’t decide important things on our own, we talk about it together. That’s what our marriage is about. I know you’re used to calling the shots out there in battle, and I’m obviously not opposed to that, but you’re not out there defending yourself anymore. You’ve got me now, and _we_ make decisions together from here on out.” She knew she was likely making a bigger deal of this than was necessary, but Kat wanted to nip this problem in the bud before it became an actual serious problem. “Are we clear?”

“Yeah. Crystal.” He agreed.

“Good!” she said cheerfully. “Now kiss me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hints at the beginning of their relationships are being made and i'm still undecided if I want to just tie it in here or just make it a separate work. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
